Interim financial statements	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Interim financial statements	Interim financial statements. The financial information contained in this report for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, and as of September 30, 2017, is unaudited. This report should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. A. Management’s responsibility. The accompanying interim financial statements were prepared by management, who is responsible for their integrity and objectivity. These financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including management’s best judgments and estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of this information for all interim periods, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, have been made. The Company’s results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year and actual results could differ. B. Consolidation. The condensed consolidated financial statements include all subsidiaries in which the Company owns more than 50% voting rights in electing directors. All significant intercompany amounts and transactions have been eliminated and provisions have been made for noncontrolling interests. Unconsolidated investees, in which the Company typically owns 20% through 50% of the equity, are accounted for by the equity method. C. Reclassifications. Certain amounts in the 2016 interim financial statements have been reclassified for comparative purposes. Net income attributable to Stewart, as previously reported, was not affected. D. Restrictions on cash and investments. The Company maintains investments in accordance with certain statutory requirements for the funding of statutory premium reserves. Statutory reserve funds, which approximated $475.4 million and $485.4 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, are required to be fully funded and invested in high-quality securities and short-term investments. Statutory reserve funds are not available for current claim payments, which must be funded from current operating cash flow. In addition, included within cash and cash equivalents are statutory reserve funds of approximately $26.9 million and $13.9 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Although these cash statutory reserve funds are not restricted or segregated in depository accounts, they are required to be held pursuant to state statutes. If the Company fails to maintain minimum investments or cash and cash equivalents sufficient to meet statutory requirements, the Company may be subject to fines or other penalties, including potential revocation of its business license. These funds are not available for any other purpose. In the event that insurance regulators adjust the determination of the statutory premium reserves of the Company’s title insurers, these restricted funds as well as statutory surplus would correspondingly increase or decrease. E. Recent accounting pronouncements. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which eliminated the transaction-specific and industry-specific revenue recognition guidance under current GAAP and replaced it with a principles-based approach for determining revenue recognition. The new guidance sets forth the steps to be followed to recognize revenue: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. ASU 2014-09 will be effective on annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company expects to adopt ASU 2014-09 on January 1, 2018 using the cumulative effect method of adoption. Management is in the process of documenting and completing its analysis of the impact of the new revenue guidance, specifically its evaluation of certain fee arrangement contracts. Based on management's preliminary assessment, the Company has determined that ASU 2014-09, other than certain additional footnote disclosures, will not have a material impact on our accounting or reporting for revenue streams related to direct and agency title insurance premiums, escrow and other title-related fees, and investment income. These revenue streams account for approximately 94% of the Company's total revenues. The Company expects to complete its evaluation and documentation of the impact of the new revenue standard during the fourth quarter 2017. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which updated the current guidance related to leases. The new guidance includes the requirement for the lessee to recognize in the balance sheet a liability equal to the present value of contractual lease payments with terms of more than twelve months and a right-of-use asset representing the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Disclosures will be required by lessees to meet the objective of enabling users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and early adoption is allowed. The Company expects to adopt ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 and recognize and measure leases in the financial statements at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company expects the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will result in material increases in the assets and liabilities reported on its consolidated balance sheets. As disclosed in Note 16 of the Company's 2016 Form 10-K, the undiscounted future minimum lease payments with terms of more than twelve months were approximately $168.2 million as of December 31, 2016. The Company expects the new ASU will likely have an insignificant impact on its consolidated statements of operations and cash flows. The Company is currently evaluating certain lease management and accounting systems and plans to begin system implementation and testing on or before the first quarter 2018.

Interim financial statements. The financial information contained in this report for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and 2016, and as of September 30, 2017, is unaudited. This report should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016.

A. Management’s responsibility. The accompanying interim financial statements were prepared by management, who is responsible for their integrity and objectivity. These financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including management’s best judgments and estimates. In the opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of this information for all interim periods, consisting only of normal recurring accruals, have been made. The Company’s results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year and actual results could differ.

B. Consolidation. The condensed consolidated financial statements include all subsidiaries in which the Company owns more than 50% voting rights in electing directors. All significant intercompany amounts and transactions have been eliminated and provisions have been made for noncontrolling interests. Unconsolidated investees, in which the Company typically owns 20% through 50% of the equity, are accounted for by the equity method.

C. Reclassifications. Certain amounts in the 2016 interim financial statements have been reclassified for comparative purposes. Net income attributable to Stewart, as previously reported, was not affected.

D. Restrictions on cash and investments. The Company maintains investments in accordance with certain statutory requirements for the funding of statutory premium reserves. Statutory reserve funds, which approximated $475.4 million and $485.4 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, are required to be fully funded and invested in high-quality securities and short-term investments. Statutory reserve funds are not available for current claim payments, which must be funded from current operating cash flow. In addition, included within cash and cash equivalents are statutory reserve funds of approximately $26.9 million and $13.9 million at September 30, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. Although these cash statutory reserve funds are not restricted or segregated in depository accounts, they are required to be held pursuant to state statutes. If the Company fails to maintain minimum investments or cash and cash equivalents sufficient to meet statutory requirements, the Company may be subject to fines or other penalties, including potential revocation of its business license. These funds are not available for any other purpose. In the event that insurance regulators adjust the determination of the statutory premium reserves of the Company’s title insurers, these restricted funds as well as statutory surplus would correspondingly increase or decrease.

E. Recent accounting pronouncements. In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which eliminated the transaction-specific and industry-specific revenue recognition guidance under current GAAP and replaced it with a principles-based approach for determining revenue recognition. The new guidance sets forth the steps to be followed to recognize revenue: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer, (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) determine the transaction price, (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the entity satisfies a performance obligation. ASU 2014-09 will be effective on annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company expects to adopt ASU 2014-09 on January 1, 2018 using the cumulative effect method of adoption. Management is in the process of documenting and completing its analysis of the impact of the new revenue guidance, specifically its evaluation of certain fee arrangement contracts. Based on management's preliminary assessment, the Company has determined that ASU 2014-09, other than certain additional footnote disclosures, will not have a material impact on our accounting or reporting for revenue streams related to direct and agency title insurance premiums, escrow and other title-related fees, and investment income. These revenue streams account for approximately 94% of the Company's total revenues. The Company expects to complete its evaluation and documentation of the impact of the new revenue standard during the fourth quarter 2017.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which updated the current guidance related to leases. The new guidance includes the requirement for the lessee to recognize in the balance sheet a liability equal to the present value of contractual lease payments with terms of more than twelve months and a right-of-use asset representing the right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. Disclosures will be required by lessees to meet the objective of enabling users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. This ASU is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018 and early adoption is allowed. The Company expects to adopt ASU 2016-02 on January 1, 2019 and recognize and measure leases in the financial statements at the beginning of the earliest period presented using a modified retrospective approach. The Company expects the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will result in material increases in the assets and liabilities reported on its consolidated balance sheets. As disclosed in Note 16 of the Company's 2016 Form 10-K, the undiscounted future minimum lease payments with terms of more than twelve months were approximately $168.2 million as of December 31, 2016. The Company expects the new ASU will likely have an insignificant impact on its consolidated statements of operations and cash flows. The Company is currently evaluating certain lease management and accounting systems and plans to begin system implementation and testing on or before the first quarter 2018.